On Monday August
24th, Mike Gray, Tim Cameron and I drove across town for our annual trip
to the summer MIAC show. The Music Industries Association of Canada holds
this event every year to give manufacturers and distributors a venue to
meet retailers face to face, and to show off their new products and ideas.
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The Drive Over
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After the not-so-scenic drive out to the airport, we arrived
to find the show in full swing. Feeling a little bit like elementary students
on a field trip with no adult supervision, we began to make our way around
the hall. Here you can see a glimpse of the Martin booth, and if you look
towards the bottom right, you might catch a sneak peak of Godin's new version
of the 5th Avenue Kingpin. So many guitars, so little time...
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Shortly after arriving, we met up with Max, our
newest addition to the 12th Fret team, for a full tour of the Martin booth.
As usual, Martin had a great selection of new models on display. Here we
see Max spending some time with the new D Cherry 09 model.
We proceeded to make our way from booth
to booth. Our very own Mike McAvan was on hand with Tech 21, helping to
demonstrate their line of 'Character' pedals, Power Engine 60, and Trademark
60 amplifiers. |
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Eventually, we found ourselves at
Yorkville Sound's MASSIVE booth. In the past, they have made themselves
known for putting together a very impressive display, and this year was
no exception. On hand were literally dozens of Gibson guitars, including
a couple of limited edition Les Pauls that just might end up here in the
store in the near future. Keep an eye on our 'What's New' section (wink,
wink).
Never able to turn down a feat-of-strength type
challenge, we convinced Tim to show us how easily he could lift Gallien-Krueger's
new MB210 bass amplifier. No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you; he's
only using one finger. He really is that strong. |
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As the day moved on, we also
visited Roland Canada's display. We were shown some very cool new products
that fall into the "Top Secret" category, so I have to keep my excitement
under control for now. I met up with the guys from Egnater Amplification
who were showing off some incredible new models. By the time you read this,
you will be able to find our feature of the REBEL 30 and Renegade in our
'What's New' page.
Mike Gray and I had a meeting with
Taylor guitars. Their booth, like their guitars, was GORGEOUS. My personal
favorite was the 35th Anniversary Custom electric solid body. We were lucky
enough to get one of these stunning guitars in stock. Again, stay tuned
for a feature of this guitar on our web site in the next week or two.
Our final stops were with Saga and Gold
Tone; two of our largest suppliers of Banjos. Both companies had incredible
selections of instruments on hand; no small feat considering the distances
they covered to reach the show.
As the show began to wind down, I
found myself alone amongst the last stragglers, the hall slowly clearing
out around me. My colleagues were already on the road back to the shop;
their vehicles filled with as many instruments and amplifiers as possible.
Being without a vehicle of my own, and standing next to a stack of banjos
that still needed to get back to the shop, I called Grant. "Hey Nevin,
can you wait for me to take the van back out there and pick you up?" he
asked. "Don't worry" I said, "I'll be fine". |
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We ship internationally & domestically on a daily basis.
Please email us at sales@12fret.com for a shipping rate.
We fully set up our instruments to your specifications with your
brand & gauge of strings before shipping.
If shipping within Canada but outside of Ontario, only 5% GST
applies.
When shipping outside of Canada, no taxes are charged by us.
Shipping to the U.S.A. : There are no taxes charged and
no duty at the border for North American made products
Current as of August 2009
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